[trebb]

Anybody who thinks or expects Olympians are driven to become Olympians due to patriotism is delusional. It's great for the ones who make the team and who also happen to be patriots, but it isn't what gets a toddler and his/her parents up at 0-dark thirty every day for years and makes them go through the rigors and costs of preparing for a shot at the gold.

This guy didn't slam the USA, he was pragmatic about the conditions on the ground and made the most of other opportunities. The author of the article is the one who tried to make it a slam against the USA.

Some things are totally apolitical until "news" agencies get involved.

[MoraBlack]

I think you are spot on.

As much as i would prefer athletes to compete for their countries and not for themselves it`s all about the money nowadays and, quite frankly, expecting anything else wouldn`t just be unrealistic, it would be unfair.

Amateurs usually don`t stand a chance anymore. You have to invest pretty much all your time and a whole lot of money to make it, so if you aren`t independently wealthy you need sponsors.

In the US people seem to care for winter sports only once every four years, so money is scarce. Under the circumstances you can`t really blame Vic Wild for what he did.

[dfwgator]

That’s what was bound to happen once the Olympics became open to professionals.